The Hunger Games from Prim's POV
by TaintedByTheGames
Summary: What was happening in the Seam while Katniss was competing in the arena? The Hunger Games from Prim's point of view.
1. What if?

I felt my way across the floor in the little house, feeling the coal dust coat the bottom of my feet. I stubbed my toe against the chest against the wall and I trusted myself up onto the bed. Katniss shifted ever so slightly as I climbed under the covers. I wasn't worried about waking her, I knew she wasn't sleeping, how could she be? It was the night before the reaping and her name was in that dreaded ball 20 times. It didn't appear that the odds were in her favor. She rolled over, with her hair a matted mess and her eyes droopy, and said "come on Prim, you need to sleep."

"Katniss I can't sleep. I'm nervous. What if one of us gets reaped tomorrow? What will we do? How will mom handle it?" Katniss shoots a quick glance over to the dark side of the room at my mother, making sure she's still sound asleep. Katniss is always sure to monitor her words when Mom's around. She is still slumbering away, as always. Katniss turns her attention back to me and says;

"Prim don't you worry about it. We'll be fine, we always are. Now you really need to sleep." She rolls back over, I can tell that she's trying to sleep or at least make me think that she's sleeping because her breathing becomes unnaturally even. Her words have soothed my nerves a little, but I'm still nervous. What will happen if Katniss gets reaped? She keeps our family going, she's the main supported even though she's only the daughter. I'm strong and smart for my age, but I can't hunt like Katniss can. All I have is my little goat, and Buttercup. For a second I let myself wonder if my mom and I would have survived after my Dad died if Katniss wasn't around. I don't know if we would have. Just the thought makes me choke up and I try to put it out of my mind. Eventually I nod off for a little, but morning comes too quickly.


	2. The Reaping

I wake up as Katniss sneaks out of bed. She must be going hunting as usual. I can hear her grabbing my Dad's old leather jacket from the closet, slip on her boots and sneaking out of the house. Normally I don;t even wake up when she leaves, I must have been sleeping really lightly. Katniss going out hunting worries me, especially this morning. I hope that the Peacekeepers haven't decided to up the amount of security, considering it is Reaping day and all. I push this out of my mind too, Katniss will be fine. She always is.

The morning of the reaping is always bittersweet. The capitol wants us to celebrate. They want us to eat and enjoy ourselves. They want the girls to put on their finest dress, the boys their nicest pants and shirt, and they want everyone to be joyous. I imagine that in the Capitol, the Reaping day means feasts and parties, as does most everything in the Capitol. I suppose that only lends to the resentment that brews here in District Twelve. No one in the districts is truly happy on Reaping Day. Every year two of our own are sent off to the Capitol, thrown in an arena with twenty two other kids like them, and forced to either kill, or be killed.

This morning Mom is at least trying to stay busy, though I can see her thoughts are preoccupied. She is definitely concerned about the Reaping. Even though I don't remember much about the Reaping and the Games before Dad dies, Katniss tells me that Mom seems more and more worried every year. The squeaky door creaks open and a feeling of relief washes over, Katniss made it back. I ran up to give her a hug, and she had to drop her game bag to hug me back. It must have been a light hunting day. My Mom seems a little absent minded today, but she's laid out clothes for Katniss and I, and braids our hair for us. We have to look nice for the Reaping.

We have breakfast, eating some delicious bakery bread that we don't get often, and some of the things Katniss brought back from her hunting today. I slip Buttercup a little piece of Rabbit under the table but Katniss catches me and gives me a look. She's always hated my cat. After breakfast Katniss ushers my Mom and I out the door, tucking in my shirt as we go. She always nags me about that. We speed walk to the square in front of the Justice building. You can't be late for the Reaping.


End file.
